Fourth
by SophiaOfSlytherin
Summary: House decides his team needs a new member. But what happens when the new doctor already knows one of the team? R&R, flames are welcome if you can tell me exactly what you don't like. Rated T for language. Not OC/House in any way, shape, or form.
1. Prologue I

House calmly walked into Cuddy's office. Had he not had the trouble with his leg, he would have strutted, and he bobbed his head to the music playing at full-volume on his iPod. Cuddy glared at him and insisted he lower the volume, but House was in his own little world. She finally managed to get him to turn it off after shouting at him: "House!"

"You know, you really spoil my fun," said House, stepping closer to Cuddy's desk. "That was a really great song. Now don't you feel ashamed of yourself?" He smiled his famous House smile, a smile that wasn't a true smile at all, but more of a smirk.

"What do you want, House?" Cuddy asked with her head titled just slightly to the right to signify "are you seriously interrupting my day?" and her eyes shut just enough to look really annoyed.

"Dr. Cuddy, once again you've cut me deeply," House replied in mock hurt, "Can't I just come to visit you once in a while? Sheesh, you act like I'm such a rotten person." He put his hand over his chest, where his heart was, as if to stop the "hurt" Cuddy had caused.

"No, you can't, because you _are _a rotten person," said Cuddy impatiently, "Now what do you want? I've got a lot of paperwork here to do, most of it caused by patience wanting disciplinary action taken on you."

House leaned over her desk, sticking his face a few inches from hers before he spoke. "I need a new person on my team." The importance expressed through his face was immense.

"Why?" Cuddy questioned, "You have three perfectly fine doctors on your team. Why do you need a fourth?"

"They've grown on me," House said, "Too much so. I'm bored with them. A new team member would be exciting. Maybe he or she would take my mind off of my pain." - He motioned to his injured leg. - "Especially if it's a she. A sexy female doctor would _definitely _help."

"Fine, but you and Wilson have to interview her. You're lucky you're such an excellent doctor," said Cuddy. House, satisfied, turned to leave. Cuddy called after him, "If you weren't, I'd have kicked you out on your ass a long time ago!"

House spun around and, with a smile, said, "I know, but you love having me." He slammed the door to her office behind him. Cuddy sank down into her chair, shaking her head at his antics and muttering words that should never be repeated about her employee, Gregory House.


	2. Prologue II

"My answer is no," said Wilson. House was following him again, and all he wanted was to get to his office so he could do his job in peace. "Damn this elevator for not being faster."

"Oh, come on," House said, faking sorrow and pouting, "You know you want to come to the interview. She could be our new friend! It'll be fun. What's better than coming to work on your day off to interview someone? It's not like you've got anything better to do."

Just then, the elevator stopped dead. "Oh, that's great," said Wilson, "Now I'm stuck in an elevator with a maniac." Looking at House directly, he added, "My answer is still no. I'm not coming."

"You have to," House smiled mischievously. "I already have the entire thing set up. I told the girl we're interviewing that you'll be there. Guess you're out of luck." The elevator started moving again.

"At least we're not stuck anymore," Wilson replied. "I guess I'll be there. Saturday, you said? What time?" He rolled his eyes as he spoke, giving up only because House was getting on his last nerve.

"She'll be here a little after noon. Exact times are for wimps," House said, and had it been anyone besides Wilson in the elevator, House might have gotten smacked. The elevator stopped and the doors opened. "This is my stop. See you Saturday!"

"You're still a son of a bitch," Wilson called after House, but as he was laughing as he said it, it was obvious he didn't say it to be hurtful. Wilson stood there a moment until he realized, just after the doors closed, something important: "Wait a sec.. This is my floor!"


	3. The Interview

On Saturday, Wilson sat in House's office where the interview was to take place. House had eventually told him it was scheduled for 12:15. He drummed his fingers impatiently; the clock read 12:25, but he was the only was in the room. A moment later, he heard swift feet in the hallway, the sound of someone running. A young woman with short, somewhat spiky blonde hair stepped inside.

"Sorry.. I'm late.." she panted between breathes, "Heavy traffic.." She straightened herself up, quickly ran her hand through her hair to try to coax it into lying flatter, then held the hand out to Wilson. "You must be Dr. House." She spoke in a thick accent.

"Not exactly," Wilson chuckled, "I'm Dr. Wilson. Dr. House seems to be running late. Get used to it; House is rude and likes to make people wait." He accepted the lady's small hand, shaking it with his large one.

"Oh, he can't be that bad," the lady laughed, swatting her other hand through the air to say "no big deal". She smiled warmly, then added, "I'm sure he's just stuck in traffic, like I was."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Wilson warned. The two spent the next thirty minutes discussing House and "personality quirks" as Wilson called them. Finally, at 12:55, House limped through the doorway.

"Sorry I'm late," House said, then paused. After a moment of thought, he said, "Actually, I'm not sorry. I didn't get out of bed until noon." He turned to the woman. "Dr. Gregory House."

"You slept until noon?" Wilson asked, as if shocked that it was humanly possible to sleep past seven. House laughed to himself before explaining what was so funny.

"Did I say that?" said House, "No, I didn't sleep until noon, I said I didn't get out of bed until noon. I woke up at eight, but I didn't feel like getting up. Leg pains, you know how it goes." Wilson rolled his eyes at his friend as House took his seat.

"So, now that we're all here," said Wilson to the woman, "What's your name?" House shook his head at the generic beginning question Wilson always started with. How House wished he would change it up once in a while!

"Riley," answered the woman, sitting as still as she possibly could, but it seemed she'd drank too many coffees before coming this morning, and the less movement, the more difficult it became. House looked over her every detail, trying to size her up.

"I'll ask the next question," said House, and Wilson mouthed, "Oh, God." With a look that claimed he was concerned, House asked, "When did he leave you? Your husband, I mean."

"E-excuse me?" Riley stuttered. "First off, that doesn't pertain to the interview at hand, because this is about my job, not my personal life, Dr. House. Secondly, how on Earth did you..?"

"House, you can't ask things like that!" Wilson hissed, "Ask her about her qualifications, not her personal life." He glared at his friend, but House shook it off. House never listened to Wilson, so why start now?

"Well, you have circles around your eyes, suggesting you don't sleep well. You're hyped up on caffeine, also suggesting you don't sleep. Your eyes are red and puffy like you've been crying, possibly why you haven't slept. But you have a wedding ring," House explained. "So you've been crying at night instead of sleeping, but what kind of wife does that? Obviously, he's either just left you, or he left a while ago and you're still hoping he's coming back." Riley opened her mouth, but no words came out. Instead, House spoke again. "He's not coming back, is he?"

"You listen here!" Riley shouted as she stood up, anger overwhelming her judgment. "I did _not _come here to face a barrage of questions about my personal life! I came here for a job interview, so if you _could, _stay on task!"

"All right, I will. Sheesh," said House as Riley took her seat. He turned to Wilson, who was glaring at him. "What? I was just trying to evaluate her mental ability. It seems our friend has a temper."

"I would, too, if you probed my personal life on the first day we met!" Wilson whispered fiercely, "Ask questions about her qualifications!" He seemed sincerely peeved.

"Fine, fine. Have kids?" House asked, then quickly added, "This is a question about qualifications. It could determine how dedicated you are to work."

"Two, and if you ask any more questions about them, I swear I'll mess up your other leg," Riley retorted, sensitive about her children. House didn't so much as listen to her response as he did her way of talking; her accent was oddly familiar. Suddenly, he put it together.

"Riley what?" House wondered, "What's your last name? Maiden name, if you changed it, preferably." Wilson looked at him like he was crazy, but House gave him a confirming look to show he knew what he was doing.

"It's Chase. And I didn't change it when I got married. It's Riley Chase," said Riley, confused why it would matter and why he would specifically ask for her maiden name.

"And how many families of blonde doctors named Chase are there in England?" House asked with a grin. Wilson had a look of utter discovery, as if he had himself just found the cure to a terrible disease.

"I'm Australian, actually," corrected Riley, "I'm from Australia. My brother and father are doctors, however. How did you know?"

"I'm just that amazing," House replied. "You can go now; you've got the job." Wilson silently stared off into space.

"What? So easily?" Riley puzzled, "You didn't even ask about my real qualificati-.." House cut her off before the word could be finished.

"Those don't matter," House said, "This interview didn't even matter. You're the only person who wanted the job, so it's yours. Actually, this interview did matter. I just wanted to see if you were amazingly gorgeous. You start tomorrow. Wear scrubs."

"Thank you so much, Dr. House," said Riley, rising and walking over to shake both his and Wilson's hands. "I'll be here on time, I promise." She turned and exited, leaving the two men alone in House's office.

"Why scrubs?" Wilson asked, "None of your team members were scrubs." House began to chuckle evilly a little to himself before replying.

"It's her initiation. I've never had a new team member before," House smirked. "Let's see what happens. After all, Chase never told us he had a sister, and, boy, does she have issues!"


	4. The Patient

The sun was rising, and its rays of light shined, each like sparkling glitters of magic. It was a fine morning at the local pre-school. As it was still early, some parents were still there dropping off their students with hugs and kisses. Children poured into the building, greeting their friends with smiles and friendly hellos.

"Take your seat, children, and let's begin," coaxed the teacher. Soon, all of the children had done as asked, and the teacher began to walk around, inspecting the children to make sure they had gone to the correct seats.

"Jimmy," she said, "I know you would like to sit near Anna, but your seat is over there." A boy with brown hair stood up and hurried across the room to his correct seat. The teacher suddenly felt a little dizzy and clutched her head, but in a moment, she was again encircling the children.

"All right, we'll begin with-" she started, but she then noticed one of the students in the back, a little boy with curly red hair and bright blue eyes, with his hand raised. "Yes, Andy?"

"I don't feel so good," said Andy with a frown. The teacher went to him and rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment.

"Do you need to go home?" she asked sweetly, very concerned with her student's welfare, though she might have been a bit more concerned if her own head hadn't been throbbing.

"No, I'll be okay," he said quickly. Andy loved school, and he had many friends in his pre-school class.

"All right, then let's begin," the teacher smiled. She began to walk away, but quickly had to turn back; Andy had abruptly began to scream, a scream that sounded full of pain, and he slid to the floor where he tucked himself as tight as possible.

**A/N: Cue House theme song! Duh, duh duh click. Duh, duh duh click. (That's my attempt at the theme song…)**


	5. The Chase Case

"Andy Young, white, male, four years old," said House as he tapped his cane against his dry-erase board. "Hospitalized for pain in his 'middle'. What's wrong with the brat?" He glanced from Cameron to Foreman to Chase to the empty seat he had brought in for the new doctor.

"Could have appendicitis," suggested Foreman, "Explains the pain." He noticed House was staring at the empty chair. "House, what are you staring at so focused?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you kiddies," House said abruptly. "Kids, we're bringing another child into our family. Don't worry, she won't change the way I feel about the kids I already have, but you'll have a brand new sister."

"The kid could have just had a stomach bug that passed quickly," said Cameron before really noticing what House said. "Wait, you mean you hired a new doctor?"

"Foreman, check the appendix. Cameron, scan for signs of a flu," House instructed. Then, with an evil grin, he turned to Chase. "Go talk to our patient."

"The patient's four years old!" Chase replied, "Why don't we ask his parents? And why me?"

"God, you're whiney," House shot back. "His parents aren't here yet. You have to do it because he has some weird accent I can't understand a word he says. Now, go, or I'll beat you with my cane." Begrudgingly, Chase did as he was told.

A moment later, Riley burst through the door. "Late-.. I know-.." she gasped, "Do we-.. have a-.. patient?" House waited until Riley could breath again before filling her in.

Meanwhile, Chase was jus arriving at the patient's room. The second Chase was in sight, Andy shot into a sitting position. His cheeks were tear-stained, and he whimpered lowly in fear. On the table next to him was a picture of his parents. Actually, there were to pictures taped together, but they looked as though it had been ripped apart from one original picture.

"Don't be scared, little guy," said Chase calmly, "I'm here to talk to you and make you better, all right?" He glanced the woman in Andy's picture slightly before turning away, not thinking anything of it. A moment later, however, his eyes were glued back to it. "Who are they?"

"Mommy and Daddy," Andy sniffled. His accent was strange, even to Chase. It was close to plain American, but there was hints of Australian in it. "Where are they?"

"I don't know," said Chase honestly, "Probably on their way, though. Nobody would leave their kid in a hospital alone if it could be helped. Mind if I look at it?" Andy nodded, and he picked up the photo. His eyes were stuck on the woman, who looked oddly familiar. "What's your mom's name, Andy? Do you know?"

"She's a doctor, too," Andy replied. He looked at Chase's nametag. " 'Dr. R. Chase'? Is that your name?" He seemed utterly confused.

"Yep, that's me," Chase smiled. "Why do you ask?" Genuine puzzlement was present in Chase's voice.

"That's Mommy's name," said Andy shortly. "Except, her first name's Riley, and she's from Australia. Am I sick?"

"You're a bit sick, but we're going to make you better," Chase replied before taking in the effect of Andy's statement. "Wait, Riley Chase is your mom's name? She's from Australia?" After a minute of thought, he added, "How old is she?"

"Mommy says its rude to ask," Andy said. "But, I guess since you're a doctor asking, it's okay. Mommy's twenty-three. She just got out of medical school last year."

"Twenty-three. Riley Chase. Australia.." Chase muttered to himself before finally connecting the facts. And then he smiled. "Andy, is this your mom?" He pulled his wallet out of his pocket, and then he took a small picture out of it.

After looking at the picture, Andy smiled. "Mommy! I miss you, Mommy." Remembering Chase was in the room, he looked back up and said, "Yes, that's Mommy. How did you know?"

"That's a picture of my sister from a long, long time ago," Chase explained. "Your mom's my sister. That makes me your uncle." Again, after a moment of thought, he took in what Andy said. "What do you mean you miss her? Don't you see her?"

"I haven't seen Mommy for," he paused to count on his fingers, "three whole weeks. Daddy took me away from Mommy. He said Mommy needed time without me, so we left."

With a sudden impulse, Chase said, "Hold on," then hurried out of the room. A second later, he was back with a wheelchair. "Want to go for a ride? I'll give you the grand tour of the building, except we'll skip Dr. House's office, he's mean." Andy's face lit up with a smile, and he nodded eagerly. Chase helped him into the chair and zoomed off, leaving a trail of giggles in their wake.


	6. Reunion, Catching Up

Riley was slowly walking through the halls of the hospital. House had told her to go to the patient's room to "see something unexpected", so, without high expectation, she had gone to do so. However, half way down the hallway, Riley was nearly run into. Robert Chase, pushing the young patient, Andy Young, in a wheel chair just barely managed to stop the chair before it smashed into Riley. Her mouth flapped open in shock, but no words came out; the shock of not only seeing her brother and son but seeing them together rendered her speechless.

"Mommy!" Andy giggled happily at the sight of his mother before turning back to Chase. "Can we go again? Again! Again!" With a laugh, Chase put his hand on Andy's head and ruffled his red hair.

"In a minute, squirt," Chase said to Andy, but he was looking right at Riley. "Hey, sis. I see you've been" - he glanced at Andy quickly - "busy since I last saw you, huh? And you've gotten taller."

"I was fourteen the last time you saw me, Rob," said Riley as she gathered her breath and finally found her voice. "No wonder I've grown." With just a little maternal attitude in her voice, she said nervously to Andy, "Did you tell Uncle Rob everything about us?"

"No, ma'am," said Andy with a big grin, and his dimples became even more viewable. "I didn't tell him about Emmy!" After saying so, Andy clasped his hands over his mouth, signifying he had said too much.

"Emmy?" asked Robert with a hint on confusion and another of genuine curiosity about his own relatives, "Who's Emmy?"

"Emmaline," said Riley staring pointedly at once particular spot on Robert's forehead, afraid to look in his eyes, "is my daughter. She'll be one year old next Tuesday. Anything else you'd like to ask before I get to catch up on your activities?"

"No, I guess I'm good," Robert chuckled, "Just amazed to find I'm an uncle is all. After all, I didn't expect you to have two kids when you're only twenty-three now."

"I'll take that to mean I'm not an aunt," Riley said, at which Robert nearly choked on the air, "Let's hear about the women, for surely Robert Chase, _the _Robert Chase, biggest heartbreaker in all of Australia, has a girlfriend?"

"Err.." Robert started, but was cut off by Andy's giggling, at which time he turned to the boy in the wheelchair and said, "What? What's so funny?"

"Uncle Rob's alone," Andy chuckled lightly. Robert suddenly grew very red in the face.

"Aw, he'll find the one eventual-.." Riley laughed, but suddenly she stopped and looked at her brother with a genuine look of concern. Her voice was full of demand and emotion all at the same time. "Why is my son in a wheelchair?"

"He's our case," said Robert. As Andy giggled as sweetly as before, he lifted the small boy up out of the wheel chair and held him with one arm. "Didn't House tell you? After all, you're on our team now, right?"

"Oh, he told me about the case," Riley replied with little emotion, and her tone hardly fluctuated. "He just forgot to mention the case was my own child. It must've slipped his mind. That, or he didn't know."

"House knows everything," Robert said quickly with a look of sheer honesty. "He probably didn't tell you because he knew you'd freak out, kind of like the way you are now. You always over-react."

"I do _not _over-react!" snapped Riley as she contradicted her words with her actions. Other meanings hid beneath her words. "Just because you have no reaction whatsoever to things that destroy others doesn't mean that _I _over-react!"

"Whoa, I'm not sure if we're still talking about the same thing anymore," said Robert, taking a step back from his angry sister. "We're talking about your son being a patient, right?"

"Are we, Rob?" Riley asked harshly, her words cutting and slicing her brother like daggers. "Are we? Somehow, I doubt that we are."

"Then what the Hell are we talking about, Ri?" Robert demanded, "What do you _want _from me?" Andy moved uncomfortably in his wheelchair at the cussing.

"Watch your mouth around my son!" Riley hissed, then said lighter, "Andy, let's get you back to your room, ok, honey?" Without a response, Andy was wheeled to his room, then, with a smile and a promise of returning, Riley and Robert stepped into the hall.

"Now, what are you going on about?" asked Robert once they were outside of Andy's hearing range. "We're not talking about House and your son, so this must be.." Suddenly, he put it all together. "Is this about Dad?"

"Well, a little bit," Riley confessed. "You seem to think I over-react to things like that because I had a reaction at all, but you were just cold and distant doesn't mean everyone should be. Remember me crying on my thirteenth birthday because he wasn't there? You told me to get over it. I cried before my wedding, too, because you know who walked me down the aisle? No one. And there was no one to tell me to suck it up, either. _That _felt better, though."

After a pause during which Robert had to find something smart to say, he said instead, "Look, I'm sorry, but it helped me. If you stop caring, you don't get hurt. As for the wedding thing.. I sent you letters! I called! I flew to Australia looking for you!"

"I never got a single letter," Riley said simply, tears threatening. "My answering machine was always empty. And I haven't been in Australia in seven years. _I _came to the States looking for _you_!" Her tone dropped, remorse highly present. "And then I met Nathan Young. I was eighteen. I don't have an idea what I was thinking, and oh!.. Andy was born four months after we were married. What does that tell you?"

Afraid to answer correctly, Robert said stupidly, "He was born dreadfully early, and you're lucky he's alive?" The hope in his voice was truly pitiful.

"No, Robert, he was born exactly at the right time of nine months," Riley replied, giving him that "are you serious?" look. "I only married that creep because I got pregnant.."

"That's the only reason?" asked Robert, "The way you mentioned him before sounded like you really loved - I mean love - him, right?" The nervousness in his self-correction would have made Riley wonder if he really _did _know everything about her new life, but she wasn't in the mood to ask.

"Well.. I.. You see.. Err.." she sputtered before her voice rose and she half-shouted, "I don't know, Robert! I don't know! I haven't got a bloody clue what I was thinking or feeling, and I don't know what I'm thinking or feeling _now_! Can we please go diagnose my son now?"

"I suppose," Robert said without a moment of thought. The awkwardness was beginning to give him a headache, anyway. "House is probably looking for us anyway. Cameron and Foreman - the other doctors - are probably done with the test results. They checked him for appendicitis and a stomach flu." Riley nodded, and the brother and sister walked back to House's office together. The silence shared was enough to make tears come to Riley's eyes, and in her own mind, she heard her brother's voice echoing, except the voice was much younger, perhaps a seventeen-year-old version.

"_Get over it, Ri! Just suck it up already! You don't need to cry so much._"


	7. The Liver

Silence past by Riley and Robert but then was broken by a scream from Andy's room. Instantly, Riley's maternal instincts went into over-drive, and she ran into the room. Her brother followed not far behind her.

When they entered, they found Cameron and a team of nurses had already entered. Andy was screaming in pain, his movements uncontrollably wild. These movements were not involuntary; the pain he was feeling made just made sitting still too excruciating. The nurses were trying to hold him still as Cameron examined him, attempting to discover what was wrong with him.

"I don't feel good," he cried through his pain. Promptly, he vomited all over the room. As the nurses tried to hold him down, his arm bumped the table somewhat lightly. Andy was cut very easily and began to bleed.

"His liver;" Cameron said, completely astonished. "It's starting to fail. If we don't fix it soon, it's going to shut down." Two tears escaped from Riley's eyes and slid down her cheeks as she thought, _How on Earth can my four-year-old son's liver be shutting down?" _

_~.o0O0o.~_

"Nausea, fatigue, and bleeding easily. How the Hell is this kid having liver failure?" House asked his team. This was twenty minutes after Andy's screaming and the discovery that his liver was going to shut down. "Any suggestions?"

Foreman raised his hand. "He gets home from pre-school before the dad gets off work, and their maid is pretty old and oblivious. Maybe the kid got into some alcohol or something."

"So you think we're dealing with a four-year-old alcoholic?" House asked skeptically. Foreman nodded. "The only thing is that a four-year-old with a doctor for a mom would know that alcohol equals bad, which means he'd know that he did something bad. He would have been giggling 'I did something naughty'." After a minute of silence, House added, "Did that sound wrong to anyone else?"

"Hepatitis," Cameron suggested. "A, B, or C. It can cause the liver failure, especially in kids. It makes sense."

"He could've eaten some wild mushrooms outside his house or school," Chase suggested. "If they were poisonous, it could explain it."

"Maybe it's Acetaminophen," Riley thought out loud, "If Nathan - I mean, the kid's father - gave him too much Tylenol, it could cause the failure."

"Cameron, check for Hepatitis. Girl Chase, scan the kid for Acetaminophen and alcohol poisoning," House instructed, then turned to Foreman and Robert with a smile.

"We know, we know," Robert sighed as he grabbed his coat. "Go check the school and house for poisonous mushrooms. We've got it."

"Not exactly," House replied, "I'm splitting up the team. Chase, go to the school. Foreman, go to the home. I hope you two don't miss each other too much."

"Why can't I go to the home?" Chase asked plainly. "I mean, maybe Foreman would rather go to the school."

"I'm good, Chase," Foreman said with confusion at Chase's seemingly random question. "I really don't care."

"Because," House said flatly, "If the dad's home and Foreman goes, he just explains the situation. If he's home and you go, you'll punch him in the face, and then we get sued. And what happens when we get sued? Cuddy bugs me." Without further words, the four doctors went off to do their assigned tasks.


	8. Negative Results

Dr. Chase arrived at Happy Scamps Preschool annoyed. He didn't want to go to a preschool, especially during the school day when it would be swarming with kids. In fact, he would have preferred to go to the home of the patient, his nephew, to see if the father was home. After all, Robert thought along the way, Riley had been such a good kid; how could she have fallen for someone who seemed to be such a jerk? House wouldn't allow him to go to the house because he thought if the father was home, Chase would punch him, which was true, but Chase didn't think it was very fair. After all, he deserved it. When he arrived at the school, to the surprise of the teacher and the children, he cautiously let himself in.

"Can I help you?" the teacher asked awkwardly. She glanced at the nametag on his doctor's jacket so as to address him by name. "Dr. Chase, are you looking for something?"

"Are you Andy Young's teacher?" Chase asked. When the woman nodded, he said, "Then we need to have a word. Pardon my interrupting of the learning process, but this is important."

"Of course," she said to Chase and then turned to the children. "Kids, hang on just a couple of minutes, okay? Just sit still and be good." Chase then led her to the office. The teacher said to an office worker, "Could you please go watch my class for a minute?" The office worker nodded and obliged.

"Are there any mushrooms around the school playground or front yard?" Chase asked, getting right to the point. He looked the female teacher over, deciding in his head whether or not she seemed qualified to teach his nephew. He deemed her to be so.

"Only the mushrooms in the school garden," she replied after a second of thought. "I would have seen any others. The ones we grow are edible, not poisonous. Why? What's wrong with Andy?"

"He's not doing well right now," Chase admitted. "He's having liver failure, and we don't know why yet. Poisonous mushrooms can cause such affects. Do you mind if I go check?"

"Of course not," said the teacher. "Sometimes the kids like to stand at the edge of the woods. Maybe the mushrooms are there. And please," she said with urgency, "help Andy get better."

"We're trying," was all Robert said before exiting the building. He scanned the front yard first, but found no mushrooms. Next, he checked the garden and play area, but there were none there. Carefully, he checked the edge of the woods. He found what he was looking for there; pulling out rubber gloves and a sealable plastic bag, he pulled up the mushroom and stored it away. Then he headed back to the lab, hoping that this was the cause of Andy's problems.

_~.o0O0o.~_

Impatiently, Foreman knocked strongly against the front door. After about ten minutes of just standing there and waiting, he considered knocking the door down. As he prepared to ram, it opened, and he stopped dead. Standing before him was a man with black hair wrapped around a bald spot the size of a softball, brown eyes, a stocky build, and a blue robe as his only clothing.

"What is it?" the man asked. "Why where you about to break down my door? Are you some sort of thief? I don't like thieves."

"No, sir," Foreman answered, just able to control his own anger at this man. "Are you Nathan Young?" The man scanned Foreman, trying to decide whether or not to answer that truthfully.

"Depends on who's asking," he said finally. "If you're the IRS, I've never met the guy. If you're here to give me a million dollars, then that's me!"

"What about if I'm here to tell you that Mr. Young's four-year-old son is in the hospital with liver failure?" Foreman pressed. "How about then? Are you him then?"

"His boy in the hospital? Liver failure?" the man puzzled. Foreman gave him an affirming nod. "Look, Nathan's my neighbor. He lives in that green house across the street."

"Thank you," Foreman said and departed from the man's porch. He strolled across the street and knocked. He received a prompt response, the door flinging open in a matter of seconds. Before him was a man with brown hair, gray-green eyes, dressed formally, and carrying a briefcase.

"Hello?" he said, a little shocked; it seemed he hadn't heard the knock but was leaving on his own accord. It had been a surprise to see Foreman standing there. "What's going on? Why are you here?" He began to panic when he realized Foreman was a doctor. Something had to be wrong.

"Are you Nathan Young, Andy Young's father?" Foreman asked, careful not to hit any sensitive spots; this guy seemed to have many of them, and Foreman felt like he was tip-toeing around a mine field.

"Oh, my God, is Andy okay? Did something happen?" The man sounded frantic. Foreman raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Your son was sent to the hospital yesterday during the school day," Foreman informed him. "No one called you? And you weren't concerned when he didn't come home?"

"No, no one called me," Nathan replied in a panicked tone. "I-I wasn't concerned at the time because Andy was supposed to be sleeping over at a friend's house."

"I'm sorry, but your son is having liver failure," Foreman said, and Nathan gasped, his hands wrapping over his mouth. "I'm here to check for something that could have caused it like poisonous mushrooms or alcohol. Do you mind if I check your house and yard?"

"No, no, go right ahead. Anything that will help my boy," Nathan replied. "But I have to get to work straight-away, and it's something that I can't call in at the last second, so could you lock up my house when you're done? There's a spare key under the mat."

"Oh, I guess," Foreman replied. Nathan gave him a thumbs-up before hopping in his car and driving away. Foreman began the scan. There were no mushrooms, but inside, he _did _find some alcohol. Taking the same precautions as Chase, he bagged the bottle, and, after locking the door, he headed back to the hospital.

_~.o0O0o.~_

While these were going on, Cameron and Riley were in the lab, testing for Hepatitis, alcohol poisoning, and Acetaminophen. As they worked, the two girls had a chat, initiated by Riley.

"So, Cameron - or can I call you Allison?" when Cameron nodded, she went on. "Allison it is. I've noticed some… interacting looks, if you will, between you and Robert?"

Allison flushed pink in the cheeks. "Looks are all it is. Looks can mean something, or they can mean nothing. These ones, Riley, mean nothing."

"I'm not so sure," Riley replied. "Not to Robert, that is. I think he really likes you, Allison." Cameron went a little pinker, and she picked up a result from one of the tests.

"It's not Hepatitis A, B, or C," Cameron stated. She glanced at Riley, who seemed both relieved and worried. She was still worried because they didn't know what was wrong yet.

"I knew it wouldn't be B," Riley tried to smile. "At least, I thought it had better not be. After all, my four year old should definitely not have an STD."

"Did you get back the alcohol poison and Acetaminophen results back yet?" Cameron asked. She was glad to have gotten the conversation back on a medical tangent instead of about Robert.

"Just now I did," Riley said before reading them. "Alcohol poisoning is a negative. Acetaminophen is… a negative, too?" She was outraged. "Then what the Hell is wrong with my son?!"

"Calm down, Riley, calm down," Allison said soothingly. "Let's just take these results back to Dr. House and maybe we can think up some more diagnoses."

_~.o0O0o.~_

A half hour later when the boys returned, the five doctors - Chase, Cameron, House, Chase, and Foreman - reunited to share information. House looked perturbed at things unknown to the others.

"I found alcohol at the house," said Eric Foreman, holding up the bagged bottle. "Looks like my alcohol poison theory is looking good."

"We tested for alcohol," Allison said, "There's not a single drop in him, and there never was."

"Nice try, Eric," Riley said. She was honestly trying to stay positive and keep everyone happy, but it being her son, it was becoming dreadfully hard.

" 'Eric'?" Robert repeated, looking confusedly at his sister and then angrily at Foreman. "What's this first-name stuff?"

"Robert, I'm trying to make it easier on everyone by using first names," Riley sighed. "It's better than having them say 'Dr. Chase' and both of us answering. Now, let's get back to the patient."

"We also came back with negative results for Hepatitis A, B, and C, and Acetaminophen." said Cameron. "So we're relying on the mushrooms."

"I did find some poisonous mushrooms outside the school-.." Robert began, but House, speaking for the first time that meeting, cut him off.

"Scrap the mushrooms," House said blankly. "It's not them. We were wrong in all of our guesses. It can't be the mushrooms because it's more than the liver." He looked pointedly to Riley so that she would get the full affect of his words. "The kid's losing his kidney now, too."

**A/N: Oh noes, what's wrong with Andy? Have any guesses? Review and tell me! Like the story? Review and tell me! Moral? Review and tell me! 3**


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